About Us

In the mid-1970’s, the Syracuse community found that it needed to build a new school to serve the area and enrich its future. However, this project would potentially be disruptive to the neighborhood. To overcome this, city leaders decided that establishing a community center near the school would resolve local conflicts and provide opportunities for growth.

Thus, in 1978, the Syracuse Northeast Community Center was introduced. Since then, it has provided an array of services to the residents and families of Syracuse’s northeast quadrant. The relationship between the Center and the community has paid continuous dividends as the SNCC follows its mission to serve the health, social, economic, recreational and crisis intervention needs of area residents.

Upon the founding of the Syracuse Northeast Community Center, concerns were arising about the neighborhood, which was characterized by a high incidence of poverty, crime, poor housing, alcohol use, drug and substance abuse, unemployment, domestic violence, teenage pregnancy and other social and economic difficulties. Once founded, the Community Center was organized to address a range of neighborhood concerns that eventually led to the development of the SNCC’s five pillars: Youth Development, Senior Support, Family Stabilization, Health Education & Access, and Community Connections.

Since 1978, the Center continues to respond to these challenges and to new opportunities by shaping new programs to address the neighborhood’s changing needs at its original facility, which is shared with Dr. Weeks’ Elementary School. This has resulted in a cost-effective relationship dedicated to developing, integrating and delivering services to the surrounding neighborhood.The Center’s history is marked by an ongoing, successful collaboration with the City of Syracuse and the Syracuse City School District. Both publics support the Center and work cooperatively to address the evolving needs and interests of the designated neighborhoods.